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| Boko Haram: Jonathan, Senate strike deal on security |
FROM ADETUTU FOLASADE-KOYI and JULIANA TAIWO-OBALONYE, ABUJA A few days after senators called on the Federal Government to take decisive action against Boko Haram, President Goodluck Jonathan and the Senate have reached an agreement on how best to fight insurgency in the country.This is coming at a time the President has not only given an assurance of his administration’s determination to successfully resolve the security crisis in the North, but also promised the rescue of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls.
In a meeting Jonathan had with the Senate leadership and some select senators as well as security chiefs, held in Aso Rock Wednesday night, the lawmakers expressed concern over insurgency and demanded that the Presidency did something to arrest the situation.
At the parley, which had Senate President David Mark and 21 senators in attendance, the Senate pledged full cooperation with the Presidency on whichever action to be taken in the war against terror. The President assured the lawmakers that government would do everything not only to secure the release of the abducted female students of Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State, but also to rout Boko Haram.
Sources revealed that with the Senate’s promise to cooperate with the Presidency, Jonathan may, next week, unfold his new line of action on Yobe, Adamawa and Borno states, where the extended six months emergency rule recently expired. The options are for the President to extend emergency rule, declare total emergency or end the programme, but leaving the military in the three states.
Sources at the Senate described the meeting as “frank and rewarding,” as useful information was provided, adding: “The senators, including those in the opposition, expressed delight at the valuable information on the Boko Haram insurgency provided by the security chiefs during the meeting, which ended around 2am.”
Senators who attended the meeting with Mark were: Boluwaji Kunlere, Babafemi Ojudu, Zainab Kure, Alkali Jajere, James Manager, Helen Esuene, Chris Anyanwu, Ali Ndume, Ahmed Zannah, Maina Ma’aji Lawan, Nenadi Usman, Mohammed Magoro, and Emmanuel Bwacha.
Others are; Ahmad Lawan, Barnabas Gemade, Sola Adeyeye, Bindowo Jibrilla, Ehigie Uzamere, Bello Tukur, and Eyinnaya Abaribe, Senate spokesman.
Abaribe simply described the meeting as “a purely security one” between the two arms of government.”
Daily Sun had revealed that President Jonathan would meet with the Senate, after the National Security Council meeting, to not only brief senators but also to lobby for cooperation in the event that he either extend the emergency rule in the three North-East states or declare total emergency, which will remove the governors.
Meanwhile, the President has again assured Nigerians that the abducted secondary schoolgirls would be found and rescued.
Speaking at the May Day celebration, at Eagle Square, Abuja, Jonathan stated that his administration was determined to end the Boko Haram insurgency and all other forms of insecurity.
He again vowed that the perpetrators of Nyanya bus terminal bombing in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), would be fished out and punished, in accordance with the law.
President Jonathan also assured that the security strategies to curb the insurgents were constantly being reviewed to forestall the terrorists’ plans to frustrate the government.
The President urged Nigerians to cooperate with security agencies to frustrate the terrorists.
He said: “The recent atrocities by terrorists, particularly, the Nyanya motor park bombing of mainly working class citizens as well as the cruel abduction of some innocent girls, our future mothers and leaders in a very horrific and despicable situation in Borno State, is quite regrettable. The government is constantly reviewing and upgrading the mechanism to curb this mindless act and together, with the cooperation of the citizenry, we shall triumph over all this evil that want to debase our humanity or obstruct our progress as a nation.
“Those who want to re-write our history negatively will not be allowed to do that. Those who want to re-define our country to be seen as a country of chaos will never succeed. We will continue to work hard to ensure the security of our people. We must find our missing girls and for this act of terror in Nyanya that led to the loss of lives of our people, the perpetrators must be brought to book.”
In his remarks, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Abdulwahed Omar, observed that the nation was confronted with a very serious situation, adding that the war on terror has not achieved the desired results in spite of the efforts so far put in.
He noted that security forces, even though gallant, have not demonstrated enough resolve and lack the capacity to end the crisis.
According to him, “we do not need any one to tell us that we have a serious situation on our hands. The war on terror does not seem to be going on well at the moment. Our security forces, despite gallant efforts, have suffered reversals, taking direct hits in their critical asset areas, raising concerns about their capacity or willingness to win this war.
“We are not unaware of the complexities of a war of this nature, but we demand better initiative and more commitment,” Omar noted.
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